
India witnessed an alarming 84 per cent rise in communal violence in the year 2024, as compared to that of the previous year, according to a report by the Centre for Study of Society and Secularism (CSSS).
The report titled 'Hegemony and Demolitions: The Tale of Communal Riots in India in 2024' found that the total number of communal violence that rocked the nation in 2024 stood at 59, a significant rise compared to 32 riots in 2023. The report also noted that ten out of thirteen lives lost in the violence are of Muslims. Three Hindus also lost their lives in different incidents across the country.
According to CSSS, 49 of the 59 communal riots took place in states where the BJP is ruling either on its own, or in coalition with other parties.
Maharashtra emerged as the epicentre of communal violence in the country, accounting for 12 of the 59 riots. It was followed by Uttar Pradesh and Bihar which reported seven instances of communal violence each in 2024.
"This data also can be explained by pointing out that BJP ruled states have taken little action to deter communal violence and religious polarization. The state authorities in these states have used bulldozers as a form of “collective punishment” against Muslims. The non BJP ruled states have desisted from such actions and deterred communal riots to some extent," the report noted.
The CSSS’s monitoring is based on reports from prominent newspapers- the Mumbai editions of The Times of India, The Hindu, Indian Express, Sahafat (Urdu), and Inquilab (Urdu).
The report authored by human rights activists Irfan Engineer, Neha Dabhade and Mithila Raut, noted that most communal riots in 2024 were triggered during religious festivals or processions. These included four riots during the Pran Pratishthan ceremony at Ram Mandir in Ayodhya in January, seven during Saraswati Puja idol immersions, four during Ganesh festivals, and two during Bakri Eid.
"This data highlights how religious celebrations are increasingly being used to fuel communal tensions and political mobilization," the report stated.
The report also noted that the spike in the number of communal riots could be partly attributed to the general elections that were held in April/ May, 2024 and to various state Assembly elections that were also held last year.
"Hate speeches with communal overtures were used to polarize communities on religious basis. Part of the spike in the number of communal riots can be attributed to the ecosystem of impunity that is promoted by the state," the report noted.
The report further stated that communal riots in 2024 involved lesser planning and lasted only a few hours as compared to incidents of the previous years. It also noted that a pervading atmosphere of communal consciousness made it easier for communal riots to take place for the smallest reasons.
"It’s become common that even in case of the most mundane arguments between persons from two different religious groups, the incident is given a communal turn. The most common trigger observed is that of organizing aggressive rallies and derogatory sloganeering in public spaces during religious festivals," the report said.
Other triggers included debates over places of worship and desecration of religious places.
"The year 2024 witnessed six communal riots over the issue of contested places of worship, mainly the state and right-wing fringe groups alleging that mosques and dargahs were illegal or that they were built on Hindu place of worship," the report stated adding that as many as ten lives were lost in such communal riots with nine being Muslims.
The report also noted that in addition to the 59 incidents of communal violence, 13 incidents of mob lynching were also reported by the media in 2024. These lynchings resulted in 11 deaths—one Hindu, one Christian, and nine Muslims.
"Seven of these incidents of lynching were linked to cow vigilantism or accusations of cow slaughter. Other cases of lynching were on the accusations of interfaith relationships and assaults targeting Muslims for their religious identity," the report noted.